A Correspondent:
Kuala Lumpur: A red carpet was rolled out as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday on an official visit at the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, beginning his first overseas tour after taking over the government office.
A special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and the accompanying delegation landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8:45pm local time (6:45pm Bangladesh time).
At the exclusive VVIP terminal Bunga Raya Complex, the Prime Minister was received by Malaysia’s Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan and his wife.
A tiny tot presented a bouquet to Zubaida Rahman at that time.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury and Deputy High Com-missioner Mosammat Shahanara Monica were also present.
The prime minister and his spouse were given a red-carpet reception and a guard of honor. During the ceremonial guard of honor presented by a smartly turned-out contingent, the national anthems of both countries were played.
Afterward, the Prime Minister was escorted from the airport to the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur in a special motorcade. The prime minister, his spouse, and members of the delegation will stay at the hotel during the visit.
The route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the Shangri-La Hotel, a journey of about 50 minutes by road, was decorated with the national flags of Bangladesh and Malaysia to welcome the Prime Minister.
This is Tarique Rahman’s first foreign visit since assuming office as the head of government on February 17 following his party’s landslide victory in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
The Prime Minister is accompanied by Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir, Overseas Em-ployment Adviser Mahdi Amin, Defense Adviser Brigadier General (retd) AKM Shamsul Islam, and others.
Also accompanying the Prime Minister are his Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, and Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman.
Soon after the prime minister formed the government on February 17, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended an invitation to him.
The Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s current official visit is being undertaken in response to that invitation.
After China and India, Bangladesh is Malaysia’s largest trading partner in South Asia. However, Malay-sia maintains a significantly larger share in bilateral trade. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chose Malay-sia for his first state visit.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will formally receive the Bangladeshi Prime Minister on Monday morning at his office in Putrajaya.
The two leaders will first hold a one-on-one meeting, followed by bilateral talks between high-level del-egations led by the two Prime Ministers. They will later address a joint press conference.
During the visit, two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in tourism and culture may also be signed between Bangladesh and Malaysia.
